Pleased To Meet You

These nine razor-sharp stories herald the return of one of Canada’s most accomplished writers to the short story form. Stylistically varied and linguistically confident, here are compulsively readable stories that plumb the complexities of the human heart. A dying Finn, a philandering photographer recovering from an emergency splenectomy, a young woman heavy with an hysterical pregnancy - these are just some of the surprising characters that people these pages.

I am everywhere yet I am nowhere. I dont exist yet I rule the world. I am known as The Great Geometer and Architect of the Universe yet I am the author of chaos. I have no name but I take after my mother, a woman of 10,000 names who was never born. I am the Angel of Light but also the Prince of Darkness. I live in the shadows and remain silent but speak to you every single day. I am your friend and want nothing more for you than to share in my eternal torment. Nobody can see me yet I am hidden in plain sight. I am Columbia and sunrise in the east and Occidental and sunset in the west. I tell the truth yet it is still a lie. I am 44. And I am VERY pleased to make your acquaintance....

Why are you attracted to a certain "type?" Why are you a morning person? Why do you vote the way you do? From a witty new voice in popular science comes a clever, life-changing look at what makes you you. "I can't believe I just said that." "What possessed me to do that?" "What's wrong with me?" We're constantly seeking answers to these fundamental human questions, and now, science has the answers. The foods we enjoy, the people we love, the emotions we feel, and the beliefs we hold can all be traced back to our DNA, germs, and environment. This witty, colloquial book is popular science at its best, describing in everyday language how genetics, epigenetics, microbiology, and psychology work together to influence our personality and actions. Mixing cutting-edge research and relatable humor, Pleased to Meet Me is filled with fascinating insights that shine a light on who we really are--and how we might become our best selves.

"Robert Johnson was born in rural Mississippi and died young, leaving little behind except blues like no one sung the blues before him. A legend says that Robert sold his soul to the devil in return for becoming King of the Delta Blues."--From source other than the Library of Congress

A child meets a carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore and finds out what each one eats.